Some nights you just have it. Thursday was certainly one of those nights for Josh Tomlin, as the right-hander was simply dealing. Tomlin had it all as he continues to make his case for a promotion to Cleveland. Clint Frazier also turned some heads, and though he is not making a case for a promotion to Cleveland, the center fielder had an important first Thursday. Join Jim Piascik as he writes about Tomlin, Frazier, and the rest of the action in the minor leagues as he takes you Around the Farm.

After falling behind early, the Carolina Mudcats fought their way back to earn a convincing 6-3 win over the Wilmington Blue Rocks on Thursday night. In what was a close game throughout, a clutch hit in the seventh inning from Jeremy Lucas secured the win for the Mudcats.

In today’s Minor Happenings the IBI's Tony Lastoria talks about the incredible strides that right-handed pitcher Jordan Milbrath has made in the organization since being drafted a little over 10 months ago. Tony also talks about catcher Roberto Perez’s improvement, provides some comments from the front office on several of the Indians higher profile pitchers, and provides lots of insight and information on the development so far this season for players like Carlos Moncrief, Joseph Colon, Shawn Morimando, Adam Plutko and others.

The Carolina Mudcats found an opponent they could not defeat this week: Mother Nature. Four of the team’s seven games were either postponed or cancelled due to rain. Otherwise, Carolina managed a .500 record for the week, earning one win against both Wilmington and Frederick, while also dropping a contest to both clubs. The IBI's Zachary Francis chimes in with his weekly Mudcats notebook...

A day late but never a dollar short, it is time to recap all of the hot and cold performances in the Indians minor league system over the past week. The Hot List showcases the Top 15 performances from the previous seven days as well as the Bottom 5 performances over the past seven days, and includes insight, information and more on each player listed. Today’s listing includes 20 players and over 2000 words, and highlights players such as Roberto Perez, Jordan Milbrath, Carlos Moncrief, Michael Peoples and more.

Despite holding an early lead, shaky pitching undid the Carolina Mudcats in a 10-3 loss to the Frederick Keys on Sunday afternoon. The loss marked the first time Carolina did not win in Frederick this season.

To start off The WAR Room, Jim Piascik will be going back to 2013 and going over last year's performances. Since we are nearly to the point of having enough minor league games in the books to have useful stats, he will be finishing the 2013 retrospective early (to get to 2014 sooner), bringing you all of the Akron, Carolina, and Lake County pitching stats today. Join Jim as he analyzes Cody Anderson, Cleveland's best minor league pitcher in 2013, other impressive starters like Joe Colon and Shawn Morimando, and much more.

The Carolina Mudcats beat the Frederick Keys, 4-2, Saturday even though they finished 0-13 with runners in scoring position. Baltimore Orioles star third baseman Manny Machado finished 1-4 for the Keys on rehab assignment as Carolina found its way to victory. Shawn Morimando pitched 6.2 stellar innings to lead the Mudcats.

With another season here, the IBI's Tony Lastoria digs up an article which has been a site favorite for a few years. He talks about the decisions teams make with their prospects and the way they are handled which provides a good idea of how a team values each player in the organization. If you pay attention to how a player is used and how they are moved, you can get a good feel for their prospect value.

When it comes to prospects, everything is easier when the top guys are performing the way they are supposed to. Such was the case Thursday night as top prospect and shortstop-in-waiting Francisco Lindor put on a show for the RubberDucks. Though, as Jim Piascik cautions, just because Lindor is highly rated and has a strong reputation does not mean he is ready for Cleveland just yet. Join Jim as he breaks down Lindor, looks at how Carolina starter D.J. Brown is seizing his opportunity, and much more as he takes you Around the Farm.

The Carolina Mudcats bounced back from a tough loss in their previous outing to shutout the Wilmington Blue Rocks 7-0 on Thursday night behind a big seventh inning, and a strong pitching performance from D.J. Brown.

In today’s second part of our bi-weekly Minor Happenings piece, the IBI's Tony Lastoria takes a deep look into Triple-A Columbus second baseman Jose Ramirez’s performance, his usage, how he fits onto the Major League roster and how he is being showcased as a potential trade chip. In addition to that he provides several comments from the front office on some players at Low-A Lake County such as Nellie Rodriguez, Jordan Milbrath and others, and provides insight and information on players such as Jesus Aguilar, Francisco Lindor, James Roberts, Claudio Bautista and more!

Jose Ramirez, power hitter? The International League has been kind to Ramirez so far in 2014, as the infielder has put on an uncharacteristic power show. But Ramirez reminded us of the other parts of his game Wednesday, showing off his wheels and on-base ability. Join Jim Piascik as he analyzes Ramirez's night, Dorssys Paulino's talent shining through in Lake County, and much more as he takes you Around the Farm.

The Carolina Mudcats lost a back and forth battle with the Wilmington Blue Rocks Wednesday, dropping their record to 10-9 this season. Carolina scored in the top of the first, but the Blue Rocks answered twice in the bottom half of the inning. Wilmington ended up sealing the win by blanking the dangerous Mudcats in the ninth inning.

Today in Minor Happenings, the IBI's Tony Lastoria takes a look at the impressive showing Ryan Merritt has had to date and how his value continues to increase. He also provides several comments from the front office on players at High-A Carolina such as Erik Gonzalez, Torsten Boss, Jeremy Lucas, Louis Head and others, looks at the slow start by Cody Anderson and why it is not a big deal, reviews Josh Tomlin’s performance to date, and provides insight and analysis on players like T.J. House, Enosil Tejeda, Michael Peoples, and more!

This past week, the Carolina Mudcats have played a lot of baseball competing in two doubleheaders and an extra inning game. The Mudcats were able to win four out of seven games, sweeping the Salem Red Sox in a doubleheader last Wednesday and taking two out of four against the Frederick Keys. The IBI's Zachary Francis chimes in with his weekly Carolina Mudcats notebook...

After dropping the first game 4-3, the Carolina Mudcats took the second of a doubleheader from the Frederick Keys, 2-1. A wild sixth inning, including a hotly contested balk call, led to the win for Carolina. Mudcats' shortstop Erik Gonzalez had a strong day and extended his hitting streak to 14 games.

It is Monday, which means it is time to recap all of the hot and cold performances in the Indians minor league system over the past week. The Hot List posts every Monday and showcases the Top 15 performances from the previous seven days as well as the Bottom 5 performances over the past seven days, and includes insight, information and more on each player listed. Today's listing looks at players such as Trevor Bauer, Erik Gonzalez, Robbie Aviles, Anthony Santander, D.J. Brown and many others.

Shawn Morimando looked stout over six innings as the Carolina Mudcats beat the Frederick Keys 6-1 on Sunday afternoon at Five County Stadium. Alex Monsalve drove in a season-high three runs and the Mudcats (9-7) snapped the Keys’ winning streak at four games.

Ryan Merritt may be a self-described “country boy” from a small town in Texas, but the talented left-hander has made a name for himself and now hopes to make it all the way to the big city of Cleveland. He is one of the Indians better young pitching prospects, and the IBI's Daniel Kale had a chance to sit down with him recently and get his thoughts on his career to date and where things go from here.

Available IBI Books

The 2014 Cleveland Indians Baseball Insider book featuring the Indians' Top 100 Prospects and more is now available. Also, previous editions from 2008-2012 are also available at a discounted rate. Just click on the book image for more information. Thanks again for all the support!